Curcumin as a therapeutic agent: the evidence from in vitro, animal and human studies

• Published in: British journal of nutrition Vol. 103; no. 11; pp. 1545 - 1557
• Main Authors: Epstein, Jenny, Sanderson, Ian R., MacDonald, Thomas T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 14.06.2010
• Subjects: adverse effects; Animal models; Animals; anti-inflammatory activity; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; anticarcinogenic activity; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; antioxidant activity; Antioxidants; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; clinical trials; Clinical Trials as Topic; Curcumin; Curcumin - adverse effects; Curcumin - therapeutic use; diet; Disease Models, Animal; dosage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Food dyes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; human nutrition; Humans; in vitro studies; Inflammation; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - drug therapy; literature reviews; mechanism of action; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Molecular biology; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Nutrition research; Public concern; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Spices; toxicity; traditional foods; Transcription Factors - drug effects; Turmeric; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Turmeric; Curcumin; Inflammation; Cancer; Human; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Malignant tumor; In vitro
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114509993667

Curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric. It is widely used as a kitchen spice and food colorant throughout India, Asia and the Western world. Curcumin is a major constituent of curry powder, to which it imparts its characteristic yellow colour. For over 4000 years, curcumin has been used in traditional Asian and African medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments. There is a strong current public interest in naturally occurring plant-based remedies and dietary factors related to health and disease. Curcumin is non-toxic to human subjects at high doses. It is a complex molecule with multiple biological targets and different cellular effects. Recently, its molecular mechanisms of action have been extensively investigated. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Under some circumstances its effects can be contradictory, with uncertain implications for human treatment. While more studies are warranted to further understand these contradictions, curcumin holds promise as a disease-modifying and chemopreventive agent. We review the evidence for the therapeutic potential of curcumin from in vitro studies, animal models and human clinical trials.